At the end of every year publications and sites post year end lists. I like to look at them to see if I missed any albums of significance. But my favorite year end list comes from Lars Gottrich at NPR. For the past ten years, Viking’s Choice has posted a list of obscure and often overlooked bands. Gottrich also has one of the broadest tastes of anyone I know (myself included–he likes a lot of genres I don’t).

Since I’m behind on my posts at the beginning of this year, I’m taking this opportunity to highlight the bands that he mentions on this year’s list. I’m only listening to the one song unless I’m inspired to listen to more.

공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief) is from Korea (obviously). Beyond that, virtually nothing is known about him (Lars confirms that it is a he, even if many of the vocals are by Summer Soul–she is his guest singer).

Mid-Air Thief makes beautiful but weird, glitchy folk music. Every time something really lovely seems to come along, there’s always some kind of twist to make it not what you think. This, of course, keeps everything interesting and fun. But despite that, the whole album is bright and cheerful. There’s feelings of Dungen and Beck and even some Kishi Bashi. There’s even a sense of the more psychedelic Flaming Lips songs (but without the over-loud low end).

It’s really great.

“쇠사슬,” which translates into the delightfully odd “Ahhhh, These Chains!” opens with a pretty, fast-picked guitar and delicate voices. The song builds as electronic sounds are placed throughout adding tension but never overriding the pleasantness of the guitar and soft voices. After a slight break into a “chorus” the song resumes almost doubled in sounds and power, but never losing that sweetness.

I love how the song seems like it’s going to end after around four minutes but it still has a bashing coda to show off before it finally ends at five minutes.

Bob Boilen has sent out a plea to Mid-Air Thief to do a Tiny Desk Concert, and boy I hope that happens.

Plus how great is Mid-Air Thief’s avatar (on the left).

[READ: January 6, 2019] “It’s All Over Now”

This story is about a young woman, living alone and fearful in a sketchy part of Mexico.

Tina Reyes is the single woman. She boards a bus to visit her friend Rosa. She hopes Rosa is all right–Rosa had looked tired last week. Tina thinks about Rosa with her husband and children and she grows rather sad and melancholy thinking about her own life and how she will never have anything like that.

Is her status a self-fulfilling prophecy or is she just sensible about the word around her?

As soon as she gets off the bus a man approaches her. She is freaked out by his request: